The Nigerian Air Force (NAF), in
response to emerging security threats around the country, especially
within the North Central and North West Zones, has launched a patrol and
surveillance aircraft to monitor security situation in the Federal
Capital Territory (FCT) and neighbouring states.

The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Air
Marshal Sadique Abubakar, disclosed this on Saturday during a chat with
journalists at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, after
flagging off NAF aerial patrol around FCT‎.

Abubakar, who was represented by the Air
Officer Commanding, Training Command, Kaduna, Air Vice Marshal (AVM)
Nuruddeen Balogun, said: “With all the security issues that are
\bedeviling the north east, north west and also the federal capital”, he
“has directed that we should combine the operations ongoing in those
area and ensure that the FCT is covered”.

“As you can see, there are three light
utility helicopters that are capable of kinetic action, what we are
supposed to do is coordinate the activities of the ground force with
what we see air borne and make sure bring effective fire and action to
bear on who so ever it is that has intention of breaching the security,”
he added.

The CAS listed the areas of operation to
include FCT, the Abuja-Kaduna highway, Birnin Gwari-Kaduna highway, the
Falgore forest area, Minna general area, the Kano-‎Kaduna high way.

He said: “We are looking at kidnappers, we are looking at armed robbers, we are looking at cattle rustlers mainly.

“It’s been on for as long as the
directive has been given. There is no timeframe, we would continue to do
it until it subsides completely. I am sure Nigerian understand the
situation we find out selves now, anybody who is innocent has nothing to
fear, only people with criminal intent should be worried, there is no
problem, it’s a normal routine activity, we will make sure we identify
and confirm before any action is taken.”